Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 6 Aug: Governor and Chancellor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh (Retd) chaired the first phase of a meeting with Vice-Chancellors of 13 private universities at the Lok Bhawan, here, today. He emphasised that universities must go beyond awarding degrees and focus on preparing students to meet the challenges of the 21st century by making them AI-enabled, industry-ready, skilled, and socially responsible.
The Governor stressed the importance of research, innovation, patents, intellectual property rights, data security, and cybersecurity. He said universities should transform research into patents, publications, and technologies that benefit society, while developing a workforce capable of contributing to emerging fields.
He also urged universities to collaborate by sharing best practices, research, innovations, and achievements. Each institution was encouraged to undertake at least one long-term, high-impact research project aligned with the interests of the nation, the state, society, and youth.
Vice-Chancellors shared their universities’ achievements and offered suggestions on strengthening research, fostering a patent culture, enhancing industry-academia collaboration, creating a national-level shared research ecosystem, and improving coordination among universities. The Governor noted that Uttarakhand has the potential to become a centre of excellence in AI, quantum technology, and other advanced fields, and encouraged universities to prioritise societal and national development alongside academic and economic goals.
